ACS spends big money to highlight healthcare system deficiencies

With the race for the presidency in full swing, the American Cancer Society (ACS) is taking a leading role in increasing the nation’s focus on the country’s ailing health care system.

Last fall, the organization and its advocacy partner the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) initiated a public education campaign to highlight the dangers of inadequate (or nonexistent) health insurance and engage policymakers at the state and federal level on the need to put health care reform at the top of the political agenda.

The “ACS CAN Fight Back Express” bus has been on a nationwide tour to raise awareness about the need for change, and to educate policymakers on the ways in which the system needs to change and why. Additionally, the Society spent $15 million this year on a series of commercials which have run on major news networks and recently during local telecasts of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, attempting to convey the severity of the health care system’s failures. With a mission to prevent cancer, save lives, and diminish suffering from cancer, the ACS makes the case that the nation’s progress in the fight is insufficient to achieve its goals.

Not up to the challenge

The ACS cites a lack of early detection as one of the major reasons that cancer mortality rates have not dropped as quickly as desired over the past few years. Given that rates of early detection of malignancies are higher for the insured than the uninsured, the ACS claims that a faulty healthcare system contributes to the slowed progress.1

Approximately 47 million Americans, or nearly 16% of the population, are uninsured. Roughly one in every 10 individuals battling cancer is among the uninsured forced to bear the enormous costs alone.1 As noted in one poignant commercial, this burden can often drive a family into considerable debt.

ACS CEO John Seffrin, PhD, argues that high-quality care for individuals battling cancer, as well as meaningful progress in cancer treatment, is realistic. However, advancement is limited by an inextricable link to a healthcare system which is “not up to this challenge.”2

A call for action

Most Americans will agree that the US healthcare system is economically flawed. Costs are high, rising, and unsustainable, while there is little hope for major improvement without equivalently major change. In a statement issued to legislators and the media, the ACS suggests that the system “must be reoriented to emphasize wellness and healthy outcomes” through redesigned health insurance plans and realistic long-term financing.3

The organization calls for a system providing meaningful public or private health insurance for all individuals. It defines “meaningful health insurance” through the “4 As” (see Table).

Additionally, the system should not allow for “cherry picking,” or discrimination among applicants by insurers. In order for a new system to work, incentives need to be restructured to encourage healthy behavior and early detection of cancer and other serious medical conditions. With these stipulations in mind, the ACS proposes the implementation of a research program to look further into approaches to contain costs and increase the value of a healthcare program.4